Mamta's Kitchen

Mung Dal (Green Gram), Split & Skinless

Moong Dal Dhuli

Reeta Kumar

Moong dal is one of the easiest dals to digest and for this reason it is often given to people recovering from an illness, specially a stomach upset. In this case, do not add chillies. The water required and cooking time given here is average. Do remember that there are many variants in cooking. For example, quality of the lentil, softness of water, whether the dal was soaked beforehand (soaked dals take a little less time to cook) and the intensity of heat and so on. It will get easier as you cook more dals. Remember that if undercooked, you can cook a dal some more but you can't do very much with overcooked dal. It does not taste bad if overcooked, only it doesn't look as good. Serves 4

Instructions

Wash dal well and soak in water for a half an hour.

Drain this water off before cooking.

Cooking without a pressure cooker

Place the dal, 4 cups water, salt and turmeric in a pan and bring to boil. Now simmer briskly until tender. You may need to add more water through the cooking process, if the dal begins to look too thick and dry. This takes approximately 15-20 minutes

Dals, when ready, should be soft but not mashed.

Place in a serving bowl. Add and stir in coriander leaves.

Cooking in Pressure cooker: Mung dal cooks quickly, so not really necessary to cook it in a pressure cooker. But if you want to:

Place the dal, water, salt and turmeric in the pressure cooker, close the lid and bring to boil until you hear a hissing sound. Turn heat down to medium and cook under pressure for 1 minute or 1 whistle only. This dal cooks very quickly under pressure, so do not leave it for longer.

Allow pressure cooker to cool before opening.

Open the lid and check. If too thick, add a little boiling water until it reaches the consistency you desire.

A Simple Tarka or tempering:

Heat ghee or oil in a tarka ladle (can be bought from an Indian store) or a small pan. Ghee tastes better but oil is healthier.

Add cumin seeds and asafoetida powder and let the seeds start to splutter.

Add whole chillies and chillies powder, stir with a small spoon, add to the cooked dal and cover with a lid. This will infuse the flavours into the dal and stop the dal from splashing out during tempering. (Do not add chillies if making for a sick person).

This dal is also eaten as a snack. For this, cook it with only 2-3 cups of water and salt only. No turmeric is added. You can cook it in a pressure cooker for 5-7 minutes, but do not put the pressure on. Dal should have no liquid when ready. Place individual portions in plates, sprinkled with garam masala and ground roast cumin and a good squeeze of lemon. Serve with finely chopped cucumbers, chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions spooned on top of the dal. Serve green mango chutney as an accompaniment.

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